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Albums of the week: All Saints, Kyle Falconer and Mt. Joy

all saints music cd reviews edition 27.07.18 press image
all saints music cd reviews edition 27.07.18 press image

All Saints

Testament

(AS/Absolute)

****

All Saints: Testament
All Saints: Testament

For a quartet who scored five No 1 singles at their peak, All Saints’ reunion has been a surprisingly low-key campaign that may be unique among pop revivals in not being entirely motivated by cash.

Unlike rival girl groups of the late Nineties, All Saints were never a manufactured act, even if the ever-present cargo pants helped establish their brand identity. Songwriter Shaznay Lewis gave their luminous R&B credibility and she hasn’t lost her touch.

The group could have just walked away after the lukewarm reaction to 2016 comeback album Red Flag. Instead, they set up their own label and returned to the studio with Pure Shores producer William Orbit for the first time in 18 years. If the pairing was designed to induce nostalgia for All Saints in their post-millennial pomp, it works. The combination of steely harmonies and lush electronic textures is an appealing throwback on Love Lasts Forever, After All and Who Do You Love.

Perhaps they play it safe with the nod to past glories — yet closer listening reveals sonic innovation underpinning the melodies. I Would appears to employ heavy drilling for percussion, while bleepy synths add an analogue urgency to Testament in Motion.

Now in their forties, All Saints’ defiant lyrics give the record a loose theme of empowerment. “We will always be victorious,” they chant in unison. Although that may be a bit of stretch, All Saints are certainly survivors. With this assured album, you might realise just how much you’ve missed them.

Mt. Joy

Mt. Joy

(Dualtone)

*

Mt. Joy: Mt. Joy
Mt. Joy: Mt. Joy

If Mt. Joy are the answer to whatever is ailing guitar rock, it might be best to rephrase the question. The Philadelphia-by-way-of-Los Angeles quintet scored a sleeper hit on Spotify last year with Astrovan, a dreadful slither of ersatz folk-rock about a stoned Jesus driving the titular vehicle “down the strip” while “Jerry plays”. The 1960s references abound on a debut album of mellow licks and sub-Dylan lyrics, frontman Matt Quinn calling many women “mama” and embellishing his choruses with many “wooos” as he reaches towards the startling conclusion that everything’s gonna be alright.

He’s also not above appropriating a bit of political violence either: “There’s blood on the streets of Baltimore/ Kids are getting ready for a long war,” he croons on Sheep. But they never sound part of it. Or anything, really. For a group of genuine Americans they sound oddly like earnest English public school boys pretending to be Americans — which is rarely a good look.

Kyle Falconer

No Thank You

(Riverman)

****

Kyle Falconer: No Thank You
Kyle Falconer: No Thank You

Back in 2007 Kyle Falconer and his band The View became an overnight success thanks to the infectious hit Same Jeans. Difficult times followed for Falconer, however, as his very public battles with addiction often hit the headlines more than anything he did musically. After an extended stint in rehab the singer has battled his demons and returned with this new solo album, which impresses both for its honesty and its style.

Singing candidly about his troubles, the album explores themes of survival, recovery and renewal such as on the excellent Family Tree. Musically, it leans towards alt folk-rock, which suits the message well. The soaring strings on the infectious Confusion Mastered are a highlight, as is the wistful Avalanche Mastered. This is a welcome change in direction for Falconer and one that surprises.

Nic Cester

Sugar Rush

(Ferryhouse)

***

Nic Cester: Sugar Rush
Nic Cester: Sugar Rush

Nic Cester is having his cake and eating it this summer, reforming his band Jet to play their 2003 debut album in full on tour, and releasing his first solo album at the same time. Jet’s return should mean there are lower commercial expectations for a solo work, so he sounds looser and more relaxed.

Now living in Italy, he’s backed by Italian funk musicians Calibro 35, who throw buzzing guitars and flute into a psychedelic haze on Psichibello. The colourful groove of Strange Dreams also touches on the sound of his successful fellow Australians, Tame Impala. His howling voice becomes a bit much when the music is equally clamorous, as on God Knows, but most of the songs suggest all’s not lost if the band splits again.

Julian Arguelles

Tonados

(Edition)

****

Julian Arguelles: Tonados
Julian Arguelles: Tonados

Saxophonist, composer and one-time member of influential Eighties big band Loose Tubes, Julian Argüelles gifts us eight masterfully crafted tunes on an elegant album featuring Sam Lasserson on bass and James Maddren on drums, along with pianist’s pianist Ivo Neame.

Argüelles explores his Spanish roots on warm, harmonically rich tracks including Sevilla and the swirling Alegrias, investing the tried-and-tested Bulerias with fresh colour and delivering a six-minute ballad, the folky Tonadilla, with a sort of sighing simplicity gradually lifted by reflective shifts and improvised interplay between his cohorts.

There’s an ECM-like sense of space here, too, and touches of the blues. But it’s the melodies, elegant and joyful, that linger. Superb.

Mehdi & Adib Rostami

Melodic Circles

(ARC Music)

*****

Mehdi & Adib Rostami: Melodic Circles
Mehdi & Adib Rostami: Melodic Circles

This is a glorious album featuring two masters of Persian music. On the delicate, plucked setar is Mehdi Rostami and on the tombak drum is his cousin Adib. The ingredients are simple, but the playing is masterful and takes you on journey which evokes a variety of physical and emotional landscapes through its seven tracks.

The opening one, Nostalgia, begins in a high register, full of longing. After a climax it all evaporates like a dream. Sometimes heroic, sometimes wistful, here are two musicians with faith in their music who haven’t been tempted to add effects or overdubs, and Melodic Circles is all the better for that. It’s an album that will deepen with repeated listening.